October 20: End of Q1

October 21: SID

October 26: Parent Advisory Council Meeting @ 6:00 pm

November 6: 8th Grade Open House 10am - 12pm

November 8: Election Day, No School

November 9: Advanced Placement Parent/Guardian Meeting - Virtual - 6:00 pm

November 15: LSC Meeting at 6:00 pm

November 21: Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 22 - November 25 - Thanksgiving Break

December 9: Dance/Guitar Concert

December 16: Band/Orchestra Concert

December 22: End of Semester 1

January 8, 2023: School Resumes

• no full-face coverings (such as masks)
• no hats with brims
• no imitation weapons, blood, etc.
• undergarments cannot be worn as the only layer of clothing

We encourage our students to have fun and show their Halloween spirit! We will be featuring creative costumes on our social media pages!

Flyer on the website!

Students who attend school regularly feel more connected to their school community and are more engaged in the learning process. As a result, they are more likely to earn better grades and test scores, and they have greater chances of graduating and achieving postsecondary success.

If your child must stay home, call your school to inform them your child will be absent.

Home-to-school communication that qualifies for excused absence status must:

• Meet one of the valid causes for absence indicated above. AND
• Be memorialized through a paper, signed and dated note the first day your child returns to school from an absence. OR
• Be logged by the school in response to a direct phone call/voicemail to the school

Your written note and call should include the following information:

• Student's name
• Room/division
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason for absence (must be one of the six valid reasons), with details explaining if there is a family emergency, concern for child's safety, or situation beyond the student's control.
• Parent/guardian signature, date, and phone number

Extended Absences for travel reasons:

All extended absences for travel reasons must be communicated with the school as soon as possible and are also considered unexcused absences. Teachers are not required to provide work to students who are absent due to travel.

Please make sure to check the CPS calendar for all student-approved breaks and days off. https://www.cps.edu/calendar/

Early Dismissals from school:

Mather encourages students to be present for their full instructional time and asks that every consideration be made to avoid early dismissal and missed instruction.

Missing Immunizations:

- If you already had the disease and do not require immunizations, please let the school nurse know so it will be updated in your records.

- If you have a medical or religious waiver, please submit to the school nurse so it will be updated in your records.

- If you are still missing a vaccine(s), please schedule an appointment with your doctor ASAP, and submit the immunization(s) upon return to school

- If you have an updated Health Exam form dated 10/16/2021 and after, please turn it to the nurse's office in room #105, or email it to cnoush@cps.edu.

Missing Health Examination

- Please submit a copy of the form if you visited the doctor's office any time after 10/16/2021. If you need to schedule a visit, please do ASAP, and bring a copy of the form upon your return to school when available.

- If you are not sure what you are missing please contact the nurse @ (773)-534-2350 X22875, or cnoush@cps.edu.

- Please don't miss school on Monday 10/17/2022 if you are still not compliant.

If you have any comments or questions you can reach me @ (773)-534-2350 X22875, or cnoush@cps.edu.

Please do not miss school on Monday 10/17/22 unless you are sick or you have a doctor’s appointment.

Student and Parent Portals provide access to student's grades, assignments, and attendance, among other new features, such as the ability to view and pay fees online.

Do you have an active Parent Portal account?

Please contact your school to provide your up-to-date email address and request a Parent Portal account in Aspen. Once parent contact information has been verified by the student’s school, parents will receive a signup email from Aspen. If you don’t receive the signup email, we recommend checking your Spam folder. If you are unable to locate the email, please contact your school for assistance.

HELP! I need help setting up a current Parent Portal!

Please fill out the link below if you need help setting up a Parent Portal. We will have a Mather staff member contact you to facilitate the process. https://forms.gle/3ewJ4vWp13ZBGAnE9

During the month of November, Mather will be having a "Parent Communication Blitz" to update records of all students and attain 100% Parent Portal usage of all of our families. Please be on the look out for further communications.

Thank you to all of the parents, students, and community members who attended our most recent PAC Organizational Meeting - it was so great to see you. I look forward to our monthly meetings. Remember, PAC meets on the last Wednesday of every month. Special thanks to our new PAC Leaders:

• Ameena Babar (President)
• Abigail Vences (Vice President)
• Ashley Nash (Secretary)
• Eva Mariliz Ramirez (Outreach Coordinator)

The Mather LSC has 2 immediate openings for parent representatives on the current LSC. Interested parents should email Mr. Auffant (pjauffant@cps.edu) and Chairperson Roberta Salas (rsalas123@gmail.com ) or call the main office for additional information. Thank you for considering to join the Mather LSC - we can't do it without you!

The Class of 2023 has been VERY busy - please keep track of the following dates to help your senior!

Seniors were in the auditorium with an assembly on Friday, 10/7 completing their FSA-ID (user name and password for FAFSA) and more work around College Match/Fit and Naviance. The submission deadline for FAFSA and Alternative Application this year is Friday, November 18, and is a graduation requirement through ISBE.

Counselors worked with seniors during the PSAT on October 12th We had experts helping with the Common Application, Institutional Applications, FAFSA/Alternative App, Scholarships, Personal Statements, Naviance, and much, much, more!

The first BIG FAFSA/ALT APP COMPLETION WORKSHOP was in-person on Thursday, October 13th from 5:00-7:00 we had a GREAT turnout! The next workshop is Saturday, October 22 from 10-12. Please keep encouraging your senior students to see their counselor's ad attend these VERY valuable workshops.

Erasing the Distance is a non-profit arts organization based in Chicago that uses the power of performance to disarm stigma, educate, spark dialogue, and promote healing surrounding mental health. Since 2021 Mather has partnered with ERD to bring their stories to Mather students. The partnership has been very successful and helpful to both students and staff at Mather.

Mather is fortunate to have 6 counselors, 3 full-time social workers, 2 part-time social workers, a school psychologist, and multiple other outside organizations available to work with our students and families experiencing any type of social-emotional need. If your child is in need of support please reach out to the counseling department - 773/534-2350